Sean Hannity, coast to Coast AM /WPHT AM 1210

[FredLeonard]

I thought we're all boycotting this station.

Based on the numbers, seems a lot of people are "boycotting" it.

 

[Jul]

Based on the numbers, seems a lot of people are "boycotting" it.

I just wished Bloom and Rayfield would be let go and let someone else run WPHT or those 2 should drop talk for a format they are willing to commit to, like sports .

 

[JoshTheRadioDude]

I thought we already made clear that there are enough sports stations in the market.

Oh, that's right. You don't listen to facts that you don't like.

 

[Jul]

I thought we already made clear that there are enough sports stations in the market.

Oh, that's right. You don't listen to facts that you don't like.

I know that we have enough sports stations in town. Something needs to change with 1210, period, end of story.

 

[JoshTheRadioDude]

Funny, if it were the end of the story, one would think that you wouldn't keep posting twenty threads about it per week on this board.

Frankly, that change is fairly obvious: they should turn in their license and focus on their online presence. AM radio is dead.

 

[Jul]

Frankly, that change is fairly obvious: they should turn in their license and focus on their online presence. AM radio is dead.

that I agree with. CBS could do without 1210 or AM radio for that matter in Philadelphia. FM's the thing now.

 

[Ravens]

Here's the big problem with all of the complaints about WPHT.

It's still making money.

Yes, we all agree that Hannity shouldn't be time shifted and Coast should play when it's on. We agree that Dick Morris sucks.

But they're making money.

There's also the fact that people who work in the radio business usually ignore or outright ridicule listeners who tell them what to do.

 

[FredLeonard]

Say it isn't so, Julius. Now that you are boycotting WPHT and KYW, your focus has shifted to KABC and how they should flip.

Right-wing talk stations all over the country are sinking fast. Be patient. They will all disappear before long. Even sooner, look for Dick Morris to disappear when his contract is up. Look for Hannity to move back to afternoon drive. Look for all local shows to go away. CBS can cut costs faster than ad revenue declines - for a while. But when they can't cut any more, they will sell to some religious or brokered broadcaster. Just wait. But when the end does come, and it will, I doubt it will make you happy.

Kabc-am

I know that I'm crazy saying this, but I think its time for KABC to think about changing their format. they had a great run as a talk station, but they have been trounced by KFI and the owners needs to make a decision soon about KABC 790 AM. 36th in 12+ 37th in cume. Something needs to be done here.

http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?669699-Kabc-am&p=5991904#post5991904

PS: Julius, you really shouldn't give people an opening like you did at the beginning of your LA post.

 

[davideduardo]

Right-wing talk stations all over the country are sinking fast. Be patient.

KABC lost to KFI 20 years ago. It has been declining ever since, with the last few years below a 1 share.

The main reason: inadequate signal vs. the monster that is KFI. KABC covers well only a fraction of the LA market, and the part that they do cover is 70% ethnic and immigrant... not a fertile ground for AM talk. Add in the fact that the owners have sold the land under the towers for about 10 times what the station itself is worth, and that one is pretty much over. It has little to do with the format.

 

[Ravens]

KABC lost to KFI 20 years ago. It has been declining ever since, with the last few years below a 1 share.

The main reason: inadequate signal vs. the monster that is KFI. KABC covers well only a fraction of the LA market, and the part that they do cover is 70% ethnic and immigrant... not a fertile ground for AM talk. Add in the fact that the owners have sold the land under the towers for about 10 times what the station itself is worth, and that one is pretty much over. It has little to do with the format.

This idea that conservative talk is "dying" because very large very blue cities don't listen is silly. Even in those big markets the stations are still profitable.

 

[Jul]

Say it isn't so, Julius. Now that you are boycotting WPHT and KYW, your focus has shifted to KABC and how they should flip.

Right-wing talk stations all over the country are sinking fast. Be patient. They will all disappear before long. Even sooner, look for Dick Morris to disappear when his contract is up. Look for Hannity to move back to afternoon drive. Look for all local shows to go away. CBS can cut costs faster than ad revenue declines - for a while. But when they can't cut any more, they will sell to some religious or brokered broadcaster. Just wait. But when the end does come, and it will, I doubt it will make you happy.



.

I hope it happens soon. If 1210 decides to stay talk, I would suspect all the local talk shows would be gone in favor for all syndicated programming. We can all agree that changes need to be made with 1210, but how to go about it, is the question.

 

[FredLeonard]

I hope it happens soon. If 1210 decides to stay talk, I would suspect all the local talk shows would be gone in favor for all syndicated programming. We can all agree that changes need to be made with 1210, but how to go about it, is the question.

Julius, no, we don't all agree that changes are needed. 1210 does have some listeners, although not as many as before. So does every other station. 1210 does have advertisers, although they are not getting as much revenue as before. Same for every other station.

Here's what you don't get Julius: A change, any change, will only make things worse. It has happened every time CBS has tried to mess with the station since 1976. It happened with the syndicated hosts moved to FM and again when they moved back. Change means starting over from scratch and no AM station has built an audience in the last quarter century.

The only solution is run the station into the ground the way it is and then unload it for whatever they can get.

Put a fork in it. It's done.

 

[davideduardo]

Change means starting over from scratch and no AM station has built an audience in the last quarter century.

Dozens of successful AM sports stations started within the last 25 years. WFAN is just over the 25-year-age at 27 and it was the first in the genre. While some all-sports stations are on FM, and a few have added FMs, nearly all the rest have been created in the last 25 years or less. Same is true of Spanish language sports, which is almost entirely on AM, although a couple seem to have translators.

Successful foreign language AM stations like KIRN and KRVN in LA (Farsi and Vietnamese) are more recent than 25 years, and they have a responsive listener base that keeps advertisers renewing.

Then there are quite a few AM gospel stations that have popped up in the last 25 years, many with real Nielsen ratings and good audience sizes.

So saying that no AM has built an audience in the last 25 years is just not so.

 

[FredLeonard]

The last successful AM start up in this market was WIP (now relocated to FM). And 25 years is a quarter century. I said "quarter century." But if you prefer, 25 give or take. I'll make it easy: None in this century.

You quibble about this, claim I'm wrong and then cite as evidence a station you admit started 27 years ago. Wow!

I'll help you out. WIP became full time sports talk 23 years and nine months ago (approximately). Gee, I'm wrong. It is less than a quarter century. But no successful AM start ups since.

You might also be interested to know 1210 has suburban coverage ranging from poor to spotty. That's why the Phillies have had suburban affiliates. And why the games are now on FM.

 

[BRUSSTAR]

WIP was well, well into its Sports format by the close of the '80s. 1987, perhaps? Certainly more than 25 years.

Unless the overnight carriage of Larry King disqualifies WIP as having been "All-Sports" (despite its having been branded as such at the time).

But if that's the quibble, then WFAN wasn't "All-Sports" from the time it moved to 660 until it fired Don Imus.

And anyone who thinks 1210 has a "beautiful signal" has either never been to Philadelphia (the market), or has never left Philadelphia (the city limits). Signal blows. I've lived in four different houses in King Of Prussia, heart of the Philadelphia market. A faint whisper 1210 was/is in all of them. It's almost inaudible at my current home. It's nothing new, and certainly not the fault of anyone there now. WCAU's signal sucked when I was a kid too. Worst 50,000-watt non-D on the planet perhaps. As pointless as it is to, in 2014, complain about ANYTHING regarding AM radio-- maybe THAT is something Julius can segue his anti-CBS Radio crusade toward.

(Cue radio geek who knows nothing about the business saying, "Oh yeah? I once vacationed in [locale 1000 miles from Phila.] and WCAU came in great!" in 3... 2... 1...)

 

[davideduardo]

And anyone who thinks 1210 has a "beautiful signal" has either never been to Philadelphia (the market), or has never left Philadelphia (the city limits). Signal blows

The problem is being at 1210 in an area with mediocre groundwave coverage. And, like all AMs, is subject to ever-increasing amounts of man made interference. But the point I was making, following Jul's comment, is that it covers far more population in the market than KABC in Los Angeles does. KABC has no chance of succeeding in LA due to very lacking signal coverage while WPHT covers enough to get salable numbers and make a profit for at least a number of years into the future.

WCAU's signal sucked when I was a kid too. Worst 50,000-watt non-D on the planet perhaps.

I can think of dozens of cases that are worse. Start with WSB in Atlanta or WSM in Nashville.

As pointless as it is to, in 2014, complain about ANYTHING regarding AM radio-- maybe THAT is something Julius can segue his anti-CBS Radio crusade toward.

That's the real issue. Instead of comparing with even worse signal situations, he should realize that WCAU is profitable and has no other viable options as a business.

 

[davideduardo]

The last successful AM start up in this market was WIP (now relocated to FM). And 25 years is a quarter century. I said "quarter century." But if you prefer, 25 give or take. I'll make it easy: None in this century.

You did not limit the original statement to Philadelphia only.

My response includes at least 100 larger market stations that are profitable and deliver good male audiences and which have started up in the last 25 years.

You quibble about this, claim I'm wrong and then cite as evidence a station you admit started 27 years ago. Wow!

No, I did not state that WFAN was one of the startups in the last 25 years. I said that WFAN did not make the 25 year cut-off, but nearly every other sports talk station in North America did start up in the last quarter century. And about half of them started since the year 2000 thanks to syndicated product.

I'll help you out. WIP became full time sports talk 23 years and nine months ago (approximately). Gee, I'm wrong. It is less than a quarter century. But no successful AM start ups since.

Plenty nationally. But since you changed the rules during the game, you have to recognize that there are only 4 moderately viable AM signals in the market... 560, 610, 1060 and 1210. I don't include 950 due to the night signal, and nothing else comes close. Obviously, the ones that are successful are not going to switch formats. And all 4 are highly committed to what they have been doing for a long time. Why would any of them change?

Of course, if you want to nit-pick, there are stations like 1310 that are very successful on lesser signals based on low purchase prices and frugal operations. But they don't compete for the general market audience.

You might also be interested to know 1210 has suburban coverage ranging from poor to spotty. That's why the Phillies have had suburban affiliates. And why the games are now on FM.

It's also why WSB in Atlanta added FM to its 50 kw signal on 750... lack of coverage of some of the far northern MSA population areas.

 

[FredLeonard]

Plenty nationally. But since you changed the rules during the game, you have to recognize that there are only 4 moderately viable AM signals in the market... 560, 610, 1060 and 1210.

Interestingly enough, those were the four "golden age" network affiliates:

560: ABC/NBC-Blue
610: Mutual
1060: NBC-Red
1210: CBS

I'd be very curious as to the 100 larger market AM stations that started up in their current format/incarnation in the last quarter century. Don't worry. I won't quibble if it turns out to 90 or so. Don't you quibble if one started 21 or 22 years ago. The point is, nobody has a tinker's change of flipping and starting an AM station from scratch today.

I didn't change the rules. Again, you read my post to suit yourself.

 

[davideduardo]

Interestingly enough, those were the four "golden age" network affiliates:

I'd be very curious as to the 100 larger market AM stations that started up in their current format/incarnation in the last quarter century. Don't worry. I won't quibble if it turns out to 90 or so. Don't you quibble if one started 21 or 22 years ago. The point is, nobody has a tinker's change of flipping and starting an AM station from scratch today.

Just look at the sports stations... in some markets, two or even three successful ones... in each of the rated markets and you will see that about all except WFAN began in the last 25 years.

Among the most successful sports / guy talk stations has been The Ticket in DFW. It was a convert around 1995, and its style of humor, controversy and man talk was as much the model for later conversions as WFAN was... perhaps more so.

ESPN radio did not start till 1992, and was not a 24 hour operation until after 2000. Its first years, in fact, were purely weekend shows.

I didn't change the rules. Again, you read my post to suit yourself.

You said "Change means starting over from scratch and no AM station has built an audience in the last quarter century." You did not say "no AM station in Philadelphia". In other words, when proven wrong, you tried to tilt the playing field.

The main reason that the very few viable stations in the larger markets don't flip or try new formats is that what they have been doing is profitable. There should, then, be few flips in such markets. Generally, the largest markets have all news, talk and sports on the biggest facilities. In the ones outside the top 10 to 15, there is talk and sports. And leftover good signals... like WMCA and WFIL and WIND and KLZ and 590 in Boston go to the better religious or conservative broadcasters.

 

[BRUSSTAR]

David-

With regard to WPHT's awful signal... I can respect your assertion that there are worse 50kw non-Ds out there. I don't travel, and the one time I was in the Atlanta metro I rarely left Gwinnett County (WSB was solid, and WGST was as weak as I'd always heard it was). If the signals of 'SB and 'SM are as bad as 1210's, I'll take your word for it. (That's why I threw in the hedge word "perhaps.")

And I'll also add, that, if these horrible signals are more the norm than the exception for 50kw non-Ds, AM radio is even more screwed than I thought.

But to talk about ground conductivity and soil samples and LED traffic lights and computers and dimmers does nothing to defend WPHT's awful signal in the Phila. suburbs. All our local stations have to deal with all of those factors. And here, 1210 doesn't deal with them very well.

Though your points are well-taken. Except for the part about what Julius needs to understand. I doubt he'll take that at all, let alone well.

I have to go and get ready now, for my shift to hold the "WPHT Sucks, Fire Dick Morris" picket sign on City Line Avenue starts at five. Honk if you see me out there.